Carr's miscues lead to Chiefs TDs and 34-20 win over Raiders

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) celebrates after scoring on a touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Marcio Jose Sanchez

December 07, 2015

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Derek Carr kept making mistakes and Kansas City kept turning them into touchdowns.

That added up to a sixth straight win for the Chiefs and what looks like another lost season for the Oakland Raiders.

Alex Smith threw two TD passes to Jeremy Maclin after fourth-quarter interceptions and Tyvon Branch returned a third pick from Carr for a game-clinching score against his former team as the Chiefs rallied to beat the Oakland Raiders 34-20 Sunday.

''They had opportunities in the fourth quarter,'' Smith said. ''We just capitalized on some mistakes and made really nice plays. The Tyvon play was just a ridiculous catch and run. It ended up being the difference though. Our defense made the plays and we were able to capitalize on it.''

The Chiefs (7-5) have turned their season around following a 1-5 start while the Raiders (5-7) fell for the fourth time in five games and appear headed to a 13th straight season without a playoff berth.

''We knew we dug ourselves in a hole in the beginning of the year, but we're been battling back every week - just working hard and believing in each other and coming out with victories,'' said linebacker Josh Mauga, whose interception started the fourth-quarter barrage.

Carr threw two touchdown passes as Oakland built a 20-14 lead after the third quarter before falling apart in the fourth.

''I'm pretty ticked off, especially on how some of them happened,'' Carr said. ''I get pretty upset. Those things will happen. It just (stinks) that it happened all back to back like that.''

Here are some other takeaways from the Chiefs win:

KICKING WOES: Place kicking was quite an adventure in the second half. It started when Sebastian Janikowski hit the upright on an extra point try late in the third quarter, ending a streak of 225 straight makes. Kansas City then botched two with holder Dustin Colquitt struggling to get the snap down on one and Cairo Santos missing another. Janikowski then missed a 49-yard field goal attempt.

PROTECT THE BALL: Kansas City lost two fumbles in the first half to end a streak of five straight games without a turnover but Smith extended his streak without an interception. He has now thrown 305 consecutive passes without being picked off, third longest in NFL history. Only Bernie with 309 and Tom Brady with 358 have had longer streaks.

HOMECOMING: The victory was especially sweet for a pair of Chiefs defensive backs with ties to Oakland. Marcus Peters, who grew up here cheering for the Raiders, had an interception in front of scores of friends and family and gave the ball to his mother. Branch, who spent his first seven seasons with Oakland before being released by Oakland, added his interception return for a touchdown.

''Any time you get cut in this league you take it personal a little bit,'' Branch said. ''I had a lot of good years out here. Raider Nation showed me a lot of love.''

BALL HAWK: Charles Woodson keeps making plays even at age 39. Woodson, who came into the game tied for second in the league with five interceptions, added two fumble recoveries to his ledger. He scooped up one in the first quarter by Jeremy Maclin and then ripped the ball away from Travis Kelce and recovered it in the second quarter to set up an Oakland touchdown.

''My whole career I've been about getting after the football, so when I saw it in the arm that was closest to me, I have to get it,'' Woodson said. ''So that was that.''

QUICK START: Both teams scored touchdowns on their first drives before the defenses took over for the rest of the first half. The Raiders were stopped on downs when Amari Cooper dropped a pass on fourth-and-2 and then punted the next four times they had the ball. Maclin lost a fumble for the Chiefs on their second drive before punting three straight times.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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